Writer, Editor, Actor
Greater New York City Area
- Current
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- Editor-in-Chief/Publisher at The Vigilant Monkey
- Actress at Film/Television/Theatre
- Freelance Writer and Copywriter at multiple publications
- Past
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- Educator at Lululemon Athletica
- Associate Editor at Elements Magazine
- Editorial Assistant/Staff Writer/Temp. Editorial Manager at Elements Magazine
- SAT Prep Teacher at Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions
- Bookseller at Barnes & Noble
- Education
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- City University of New York Graduate Center
- New York Institute of Technology-Old Westbury
- Recommended
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2 people have recommended Melissa C. - Connections
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connections
- Industry
- Writing and Editing
- Websites
Melissa C. Navia’s Summary
I am a freelance writer and editor with experience in print journalism, website development, copywriting (web and print), film, theatre, graduate research, marketing, teaching, and film and television production.
Melissa C. Navia’s Specialties:
- Writing, copywriting, editing, technical writing, website design, public speaking, management
| Microsoft Office, Mac OS X, InDesign, Photoshop, WordPress, Basic HTML, CMS Training, SEO Copywriting
| Fluent in Spanish; basic knowledge of French and Greek
Melissa C. Navia’s Experience
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Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
The Vigilant Monkey
(Writing and Editing industry)
November 2008 — Present (1 year 2 months)
The Vigilant Monkey, a news and culture online magazine, officially launched in 2009. The official VM Blog had been set up in the months before, and over the course of three months, it received over 3,000 views. Although my primary role is editor-in-chief, that function extends to all aspects of online publishing, including website design, writing, marketing, advertising, photography, and public relations, to name just a few areas.
- manage a team of 25+ freelance writers and editors, generate story ideas and assign articles for all departments, coordinate deadlines, and process all editorial submissions
- update web content in both editorial and advertising departments
- organize staff meetings, launch parties, fundraising events, marketing campaigns, and networking opportunities
- initiate and/or approve all advertising, sponsorship, and PR collaborations -
Actress
Film/Television/Theatre
(Entertainment industry)
September 2008 — Present (1 year 4 months)
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Freelance Writer and Copywriter
multiple publications
(Writing and Editing industry)
August 2005 — Present (4 years 5 months)
I have written over 30 articles on topics that range from fitness and health to design and cuisine. My copywriting services include work in both print and web media, including tag lines, e-mail newsletters and updates, online ads, press releases, and comprehensive company website projects to write all web page content.
Recent publications include:
NAVEL Expo Magazine - Health Media Group
* "Overcoming Weight-Loss Resistance – Dr. Scott J. Banks"
* "What Your Tooth Fairy Won't Tell You – Dr. Micki Gelb"
* "Cleansing and Detoxification of the Immune System's Power Plant – Dan Goldberg"
Elements Summer '08
* "The Fashion Professor - Interview with Tim Gunn"
* "Aces in the Sky - CityView Racquet Club"
Elements Spring '08
* "Tunney Vision - LI Restaurateur John J. Tunney III"
NAVEL Expo Magazine - Health Media Group – Volume 6
* "Reversing Common Symptomatology through Liver Detoxification"
Elements Fall '07
* "The DNA of Design - Industrial Designer Arik Levy"
Long Island Pulse April '07
* "Healthy Vain – Kung Fu Fighting"
For a more extensive list and/or writing samples, please contact me at melissa.navia@gmail.com. -
Educator
Lululemon Athletica
(Public Company; Retail industry)
June 2008 — September 2009 (1 year 4 months)
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Associate Editor
Elements Magazine
(Writing and Editing industry)
October 2007 — October 2008 (1 year 1 month)
Now with Elements for more than 2 years and fully acquainted with the voice, style, and demographic of the magazine, I have taken on the role of Associate Editor. My responsibilities encompass the following:
- writing and editing articles for various sections of the magazine, including fashion, design, wellness, culinary, product, lifestyle, and front-of-book departments
- pitching story ideas, developing themes for every issue, and contributing to editorial planning meetings
- proposing new brand extensions and quarterly supplements, conducting research, participating in all facets of editorial planning and production, and assisting in office management
- organizing and co-managing quarterly fashion photo shoots; communicating with photographers, stylists, and models; compiling fashion credits for all featured outfits -
Editorial Assistant/Staff Writer/Temp. Editorial Manager
Elements Magazine
(Privately Held; Writing and Editing industry)
September 2005 — October 2007 (2 years 2 months)
I am a staff writer and the sole editorial assistant at Elements magazine. My job responsibilities include:
- working alongside the director of photography, design director/publisher, and editors in all production areas required
- scheduling editorial meetings, generating story ideas, assigning stories to 15+ freelance writers, and setting and enforcing editorial deadlines
- writing fashion/design/fitness/culinary/product/lifestyle articles, including front-of-book sections and media kit content
- creating and embedding image captions in Photoshop CS, researching subject content for incoming articles, and drafting article titles and text for the Table of Contents
- assisting models and stylists at quarterly fashion photo shoots and compiling fashion credits for all featured outfits -
SAT Prep Teacher
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions
(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; WPO; Education Management industry)
September 2005 — May 2007 (1 year 9 months)
As a part-time teacher, I taught SAT courses to high school students throughout the year. Fully trained as an instructor, proctor, and tutor, I prepared each class with the proper tools for test taking, efficient time management, optimal studying, and overall success on standardized exams.
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Bookseller
Barnes & Noble
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; BKS; Retail industry)
September 2003 — May 2005 (1 year 9 months)
NYIT Campus Bookstore
- assisted students, unpacked and shipped materials, and placed special orders
- wrote merchandise information for bookstore website and created graduation cap and gown filing system
Melissa C. Navia’s Education
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City University of New York Graduate Center
MA , Film Studies , 2006 — 2010 (expected)
Some of my most recent papers include a film analysis of Ingmar Bergman's Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries), a study of the film careers and personal lives of Laurel and Hardy, a film analysis of Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone, a comparison of the TV show Gunsmoke with the historic town of Dodge City, and an analysis of the similarities in Lucius Apuleius' The Golden Ass and Don Quixote.
I also presented at the "Humor & Laughter in Literature & Film" conference at SUNY Binghamton on March 23-24, 2007, and the "Framed: Delimiting the Film Image" film conference at the City University Graduate Center on April 11, 2008. -
New York Institute of Technology-Old Westbury
BA , English , 2001 — 2005
Editor-in-Chief, The Campus Slate; Actor/Stage Crew, NYIT Theatre; President, Golden Key International Honor Society
May 2005 Graduation
- Leonard J. Knuth Trustee’s Award – Highest Scholastic Average
- Ann McLaughlin Award – Outstanding Scholarship in English
- Technical Writing Award – Excellence in Technical Writing
NYIT-STC Technical Writing Contest
- 2004 1st place award Process Description
- 2004 1st place award Technical Abstract
- 2004, 2002 1st place award Business Memo
NYIT-AAUW Writing Contest
- 2003, 2001 1st place award
- 2004, 2002 2nd place award
Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) National Leadership Conference in Denver, Colorado
- 2004 1st place Job Interview Competition- Activities and Societies:
- The Campus Slate, Theatre Department, Golden Key International Honor Society, SOURCE Research Symposium, Phi Beta Lambda, Honors Program, Nu Ypsilon Tau Honor Society, Student Government Association
Melissa C. Navia’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- consulting offers
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
